Supposed to post this last weekend, but due to busyness and laziness, it didn't make through. so now, since i am in office and it's lunch hour, i think i can utilize some of my time here. LOL.
I always like weekends, because they always give me the time to quiet down, and to think things over. It's nice to relax, and dwell in the presence of the Lord, and to be refreshed. Truly, i have understood the purpose of Sabbath day, the seventh day of the week. Thank God for the day to rest.especially after i started my internship. :P
I always like weekends, because they always give me the time to quiet down, and to think things over. It's nice to relax, and dwell in the presence of the Lord, and to be refreshed. Truly, i have understood the purpose of Sabbath day, the seventh day of the week. Thank God for the day to rest.especially after i started my internship. :P
Life is a long journey, and in between we ought to have some rests, which can help us to stand up strong and fit to do more of God's work.
Let me tell you all a story about a young man. For "convenience" purposes, we shall name him Ben.
~start of the story~
Ben used to be the super good boy in everyone's eyes, including his parents and even his close friends. The titles that people around him would give him were innocent, pious, devoted, intelligent and other positive adjectives. Wherever he went, people would acknowledge and respect him. when there were problems, he would be the one people turned to. He was having such credibility and trust in his community.
However, deep in Ben's heart, he wasn't that happy or proud somehow. For those of us who were never in his shoes, we knew little about the tension, stress and burden that he was carrying to fulfill everyone's expectations. For him, there's no room to break down and to collapse. All the time, he would need to stay alert and be in "good condition" all the time. He just couldn't find any time to rest nor get away.
Besides, Ben had been struggling with a personal issue, that he never talked about with anyone. Besides him, only God knew what he was going through. He knew it was a wrong thing to do, and he knew under no circumstances God would allow him to do so. Therefore, he had never done it, as long as his mental strength(or maybe consciousness or morale) was strong enough to prevent his from committing it.
Things were well until the real test came. The situation trapped Ben and he had to make a choice: to be right or not to be, to be righteous or not to be. All the while Ben chose to be, but this time, he chose not to be.
So he left. He left God, because he thought he was too filthy to be loved anymore. He left church, because he lost faith in the fellowship. He left being himself, because he couldn't recognize his old self anymore. He was confused. and he was lost. Left in the dark alone, the depression and emptiness set in. He could barely breathe.He did not know who to go for, nor where to go to. He tried seeking help, but to no avail. for weeks, he was crushed and the word "hope" seemed so vague to him.
Then one day, he heard the voice :" Ben! Ben! Come to me!". He recognized the voice, and he had not heard it for quite a long time. But he refused to respond. He covered his ears, together with his heart. the voice went on, for several days.
Finally, Ben gave up and responded:" what do you want from me?". "recall what I have done for you in the past. remember My faithfulness and mercy. You are still My child.". It was God. "as You said, those were in the past!now it's different!" Ben answered. "But I will never change, remember?" the voice came again. " the world might despise you, your trusted friends might disappoint and you might betray your yourself, i will never forsake nor leave you. "
Ben was silenced. He could not fight back anymore. He can deny himself, but he couldn't deny God's love.
So, in the end, he decided to go back, to his Father's place. With the renewed heart, perceptions, mindset and attitude, Ben is determined to live a new life that is Christ- centered. this time, he has truly experienced the meaning of "everything has come anew and all the old are left in the past, God has forgiven all." instead of just knowledge on the intelligence level. Indeed, the old self would continue to come back and haunt him, and he might fall anytime. But, this time, he understand deeply if those days were to come again, what he should do. As quoted, "... it is not dead people who struggle for life. Only those who are alive struggle. Likewise, the dead in sin, the unregenerate do not struggle against their sins. Christians do."
~start of the story~
Ben used to be the super good boy in everyone's eyes, including his parents and even his close friends. The titles that people around him would give him were innocent, pious, devoted, intelligent and other positive adjectives. Wherever he went, people would acknowledge and respect him. when there were problems, he would be the one people turned to. He was having such credibility and trust in his community.
However, deep in Ben's heart, he wasn't that happy or proud somehow. For those of us who were never in his shoes, we knew little about the tension, stress and burden that he was carrying to fulfill everyone's expectations. For him, there's no room to break down and to collapse. All the time, he would need to stay alert and be in "good condition" all the time. He just couldn't find any time to rest nor get away.
Besides, Ben had been struggling with a personal issue, that he never talked about with anyone. Besides him, only God knew what he was going through. He knew it was a wrong thing to do, and he knew under no circumstances God would allow him to do so. Therefore, he had never done it, as long as his mental strength(or maybe consciousness or morale) was strong enough to prevent his from committing it.
Things were well until the real test came. The situation trapped Ben and he had to make a choice: to be right or not to be, to be righteous or not to be. All the while Ben chose to be, but this time, he chose not to be.
So he left. He left God, because he thought he was too filthy to be loved anymore. He left church, because he lost faith in the fellowship. He left being himself, because he couldn't recognize his old self anymore. He was confused. and he was lost. Left in the dark alone, the depression and emptiness set in. He could barely breathe.He did not know who to go for, nor where to go to. He tried seeking help, but to no avail. for weeks, he was crushed and the word "hope" seemed so vague to him.
Then one day, he heard the voice :" Ben! Ben! Come to me!". He recognized the voice, and he had not heard it for quite a long time. But he refused to respond. He covered his ears, together with his heart. the voice went on, for several days.
Finally, Ben gave up and responded:" what do you want from me?". "recall what I have done for you in the past. remember My faithfulness and mercy. You are still My child.". It was God. "as You said, those were in the past!now it's different!" Ben answered. "But I will never change, remember?" the voice came again. " the world might despise you, your trusted friends might disappoint and you might betray your yourself, i will never forsake nor leave you. "
Ben was silenced. He could not fight back anymore. He can deny himself, but he couldn't deny God's love.
So, in the end, he decided to go back, to his Father's place. With the renewed heart, perceptions, mindset and attitude, Ben is determined to live a new life that is Christ- centered. this time, he has truly experienced the meaning of "everything has come anew and all the old are left in the past, God has forgiven all." instead of just knowledge on the intelligence level. Indeed, the old self would continue to come back and haunt him, and he might fall anytime. But, this time, he understand deeply if those days were to come again, what he should do. As quoted, "... it is not dead people who struggle for life. Only those who are alive struggle. Likewise, the dead in sin, the unregenerate do not struggle against their sins. Christians do."
phew, that's a long one! well, i hope this story will be helpful to you. :) God bless you. Have a nice day ahead!
1 comment:
Refereshing storyline, Gab.. yet, very true.. at times we tend to backslide too, feeling God is far from us... but actually we r far from Him.. He does not leave us..
Good one, Gab.. anymore?
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